The Sevii Islands (Japanese: ナナシマNanashima) are an archipelago in the Kanto region consisting of nine large islands and several small islands surrounding them. They are located far south of the Kanto mainland, and are home to several Legendary and Mythical Pokémon: Moltres, Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Deoxys.

Contents

Geography

The nine Sevii Islands are a part of the Kanto region, located to the south of mainland Kanto. These islands cannot be surfed to; to travel from island to island a Pokémon Trainer must take the Seagallop Ferries from another island or Vermilion City in Kanto.

Demographics

The population of Sevii Islands is 66, which makes it the smallest of all known regions. This low number is due to the remote location of the archipelago and its relatively small land area.

Settlements

The seven major islands each have a settlement, which are named numerically.

In the games

Plot

The Sevii Islands follow a trend set by Pokémon Gold and Silver, and provide most of the post-Elite Four plot in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. The Sevii Islands sideplot actually begins as soon as the player has defeated the Cinnabar Gym and obtained the Volcano Badge. The first three islands, One, Two, and Three, are the only areas available until the Elite Four has been defeated, but the plot here is important for continuing the game. By obtaining the National Pokédex (and subsequently retrieving the Ruby), the later islands are unlocked.

There is also a plot by Team Rocket based in the Sevii Islands. It deals with Pokémon evolution, and appears to be the prelude to a plot that is launched three years later. Only when the Team Rocket members realize that the player has already defeated Giovanni, who subsequently disbanded Team Rocket, do they give up.

In the anime

Mt. Magma

The Sevii Islands made a fleeting appearance in the anime. They were the setting for The Search for the Legend, specifically Mt. Ember (referred to as Mt. Magma in the dub), which is located on One Island. The episode dealt with the appearance and attempted capture of Moltres, which roosts at the top of Mt. Ember as in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. A reference to the S.S. Anne is made in the course of the episode, apparently being the vessel used to travel there.

These routes are not accessible during normal gameplay and are likely remnants from the development period of the games.

The routes on the Sevii Islands are not numbered, unlike the other regions. This is likely to prevent confusion as to their relation to the others, as continuing where Johto left off (after Route 46, at the time the highest-numbered Johto route) would seemingly imply that Johto is accessible in the games.

Origin

The Sevii Islands archipelago corresponds to the real-life Izu Islands and Bonin Islands. One through Five Island as well as Navel Rock are based on the Izu Islands, while Six and Seven Island correspond to Chichijima and Hahajima in the Bonin, and Birth Island corresponds to Minami-Tori-shima (an island grouped administratively with the Bonin Islands, but not considered to be a part of them geographically).

Name origin

The name possibly combines the number seven and the Roman numeral for seven, VII. The Japanese name Nanashima literally means "seven islands". According to an old woman on Seven Island, they were named the Sevii Islands not because there are seven (two event items reveal there are in fact nine), but because they were made in seven days.